Denver Jewish Film Festival returns for 27th year

Festival includes screenings of more than 40 films from 14 countries

BY BRUCE GOLDBERG SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

e annual lm festival put on by Denver’s Jewish Community Center is for everyone.

is is something that Richard Cowden wants to stress. e Denver Jewish Film Festival is open to everybody, not just Jewish people.

“We want to attract more non-Jews,” said Cowden, general manager of the Mizel Arts and Culture Center at the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center. “We’d love to have people from other cultures want to come in and see lms that are by Jewish people or about a topic from Jewish history or current a airs.” e 27th annual Denver Jewish Film Festival takes place March 11-19 at the JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St. in Denver. A streaming on demand option for the festival will be available from March 20-29.

Independent lms are growing. is year, the festival received more than 300 submissions and is presenting about 40 lms from 14 countries, including full-features, nine shorts and one TV mini-series.

“It makes you realize that the lm world we see is just the tip of the iceberg relative to the amount of content that’s being presented every year,” said Cowden, who’s in his third year of working on the festival. “Ours is but a sliver of the lms that are made.” ing process, watched by a pre-screening committee, then a lm selection committee. And they watch a ton of lms before choosing the festival lineup, with submissions from all over the world.

“It’s surprising, the growth of lms by people in Israel and internationally, Jewish lms and stories,” Cowden said. festival at 8 p.m. on March 11. e lm is set in Paris in 1941 under German occupation. An employer, Mr. Ha mann, and his employee Francois “are forced to strike a deal which, over the follow- ing months, will upend the fate of all concerned,” states the printed program.

“Ha mann has been winning rave views and awards from festivals all around the world,” Cowden said.

Another is a Polish lm called “ e Wedding Day.” It takes place in contemporary times and involves the daughters of a meatpacking magnate. e lm splits into two realities, Cowden said. Some of it is present-day, some visits the dark past of this Polish village.

“ ere’s a lot of going back and a lot of ash forward. Eventually, they become one,” Cowden said. “If people are looking for something day, it’s really fascinating.”

Cowden also points out “ e Swimmer,” which takes place in a parallel reality, where a young Israeli competes for an Olympic spot.

“It’s very fascinating, especially in the category of gay lms,” Cowden said. “It’s an interesting lm because it’s not like a documentary about an Orthodox kid who realizes he’s gay. It’s got an ending that’s unforgettable.”

If You Go

The 27th annual Denver Jewish Film Festival at the JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St. in Denver, takes place March 11-19 in-person, and streaming on demand from March 20-29. Tickets are on sale now, and are available for individual screenings and all-access passes. For more information, visit jccdenver.org/film.

Thu 3/09

Colorado Tap House 1st Anniversary - Thurs @ 8:30am / Free

Colorado Tap House, 14982 West 69th Avenue, Arvada. info@col oradotaphouse.com, 720-8268326

NAV: "Never Sleep Tour" @ 7pm / $20

Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St., Denver

Matthew Fowler: Morning ShowDenver, CO @ 8am

Realm Denver, 3851 Steele St suite 1393, Denver

Adrian+Meredith: Sofar Sounds - Five Points, Denver CO @ 7:30pm Sofar Sounds, Denver

Mon 3/13

Meet Me @ The Altar @ 6:30pm / $19

Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Eluveitie @ 8pm Ogden Theatre, 935 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Morgan Wade @ 8pm

Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St, Den‐ver

Wed 3/15

Junior Mesa @ 8pm Bluebird Theater, 3317 E Colfax Av, Denver

Sasha McVeigh @ 8pm Grizzly Rose, 5450 N Valley Hwy, Denver

EN7ROPY @ 8pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver

4B @ 9pm Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St,, Den‐ver

Fri 3/10

N8NOFACE @ 7pm / $15

Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Teague Starbuck @ 7:30pm

Arvada Tavern, 5707 Olde Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada

George Porter Jr. w/ Jon Cleary @ 8pm Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton St, Denver

Sat 3/11

St Patricks Day with Brent Loveday and the Dirty Dollars @ 7pm Scruffy Murphy's, 2030 Larimer St, Denver

Altan @ 7:30pm

Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S Allison Pkwy, Lakewood

Sun 3/12

Anna May @ 4pm Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St, Denver

The Cody Sisters @ 4pm Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St, Denver

Covenhoven - The Candlelight Concerts @ 6pm

Enigma Bazaar, 4923 W 38th Ave, Denver

Chorale Cabaret @ 7pm

Studio Loft at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 980 14th Street, Denver

Cinders @ 8pm Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Sasha McVeigh @ 8pm Grizzly Rose, 5450 N Valley Hwy, Denver olen @ 8pm Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Meet Me At The Altar @ 7pm Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Tue 3/14

CW & Twenty Hands High @ 6pm Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Ave, Golden

Sidney Gish @ 7pm Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St, Denver

Smidley @ 7pm

Jane Goodall @ 7pm Bellco Theatre, 1100 Stout Street, Denver

Bktherula @ 7pm Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Other Side, 2637 Welton St, Denver The Lagoons @ 8pm Bluebird Theatre, 3317 E. Colfax Av‐enue, Denver

Jelly Ellington @ 8pm Bluebird Theater, 3317 E Colfax Av, Den‐ver